Bharti Airtel with its satellite partner Eutelsat is enabling satellite internet connectivity for the Indian army to help with ongoing humanitarian relief operations in flood-impacted areas of Sri Lanka. The companies, together will operate OneWeb in the Indian sub-continent to offer LEO (Low Earth Orbit) satellite connectivity to customers. While the company has received the regulatory approvals, the spectrum is not yet assigned to start commercial services.
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The Indian army is currently providing humanitarian relief in flood-impacted areas of Sri Lanka. Due to terrestrial network infrastructure damage, satellite connectivity is helping out the Indian army in keeping the communications on. Due to satellite connectivity, 24/7 telemedicine consultations with specialist medical teams are possible. The army is able to deliver essential healthcare and emergency assistance due to this to the affected communities in a timely manner.
Satellite connectivity is helpful in this regard as while it may be seen as expensive or unnecessary to the regular customers, it can help a lot when there's damage to the terrestrial network infrastructure. It can not only help the neighbour countries, but also India.
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Neha Idnani, Regional Vice President for APAC, Eutelsat, said, "Eutelsat is deeply committed to supporting the Indian Army’s relief efforts with OneWeb LEO connectivity, delivered in partnership with Airtel. The ability to maintain high-quality communications in crisis situations is vital, and we remain committed to equipping organisations on the ground with secure, resilient connectivity required to safeguard lives and enable essential services."
Eutelsat OneWeb is expected to start offering commercial services in the year 2026 in India after there's more clarity on the mode of spectrum allocation. The satcom companies want administrative allocation of spectrum, while the telcos want it to be fair for everyone and propose that an auction route is the best path.
